Bread Basket
Blueberry scones, piping hot, are one of the many delights that await the owner of this Stephen Zeh Bread Basket.
The traditional square bottom to round top design of the Bread Basket is as beautiful to display as it is functional. Two hand carved handles arch gracefully above the rim. The brown ash splint is hand scraped to a smooth finish that highlights the natural beauty and texture of the wood.
Enhanced by daily use, the Bread Basket will develop a beautiful rich patina. Through the years, this is a basket that will become cherished like an old friendship.
Artist's Notes:
Tammy loves baking. Bread, rolls, muffins, scones, and popovers are some of the things that she makes in the kitchen every day. She learned this from her mother, (or I might say absorbed it as there was never any definitive directions - never a set amount of ingredients) who was particularly expert at baking biscuits and gingerbread. Our children loved gathering around the table to see what new and wonderful things she cooked up. A basket with a warming cloth was just the thing to hold baked goods fresh out of the oven.
The square bottom with the round top is a simple yet pleasing design. On this basket I use a bit of a wider weave to give the basket a warm, homey feel. The width of the weavers allows the subtle surface coloring of the brown ash to add to the beauty of the basket. Where the planes of the form change from rectangular to circular the corners of the bottom turn downwards slightly. This creates the effect of "feet" on the basket.
Collector's Comments
“The bread basket and swing-handle egg basket arrived Wednesday and went to work Thursday morning, one holding cranberry orange scones, the other blueberry oatmeal scones. We like to touch and hold them and are glad to know that helps develop their patina.”
Barbara G. Chicago, Illinois
“Several years ago we purchased a bread basket from you that we enjoyed using daily. In August while we were away in Maine our 180 year old house in Virginia was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. We are now replacing things that were important to us; we would love to purchase a new bread basket.”
“Thank you for your willingness to make us a new basket like the one we had. Replacing something we loved will be like finding an old friend. (Imagine loving a bread basket!).”Harry T. L.